Cooking With Edward
by leiahlaloa
Summary: In which Edward tries to entertain Bella....After much speculation... part two is up!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I seem to find it easier to write about our hero and heroine (you can laugh, it's funny) if there is some comical scene around them. This one will be slightly sitcomish.**

**Oh yeah, and for this little piece to work, it's gonna have to be after New Moon. So we know that Bella was released from her grounding… so it'll be in there somewhere.**

**I say again that I have no ownership to these characters or the Twilight book series. I only hope that one Stephenie Meyer will not laugh at my own distracted thoughts weaving their way through the stories. Look closely. You might find them.**

Bella was staring at me in utter dismay. I loved it. It was the way her face was part pout, part fury and part confusion. The anger was winning out though and her cheeks became a beautiful pink shade.

"What did you do?" her voice was not shocked, not disappointed. Merely confounded. I smiled widely at her beautiful expression. She was standing in the doorway to our… kitchen. Why we would ever need a kitchen was beyond me, but it was a part of the house that Carlisle had left alone. He said that if anyone owned the house after us, they would need the kitchen. For some reason, I felt it was a waste for us not to use the kitchen if we had a guest that could actually benefit from it.

"I am putting this space to use." I pulled out a stool that fit under our new kitchen island and invited her to sit in it.

"But, why?" her face crinkled up and she looked around at all the newly acquired appliances and gadgets that I had bought and installed myself over the last few days. She sat down tentatively.

I tried to think of a response that wouldn't send her into a rant that would last for days, her telling me that she didn't need to be showered with gifts.

"I needed a new project." I shrugged. As if keeping Bella alive on a daily basis wasn't project enough. Her seeming naivety and clumsiness made her all the more endearing though.

"Edward, when would you have time for this? You are with me during most of the day and watch me sleep at night." She pointed out.

"I feel I should remind you that there are four hours out of most days that I am without your company." I raised an eyebrow in challenge. I did not like her working at the Newton's store, again. Mike seemed to hover, even though it was more than evident that I was not going anywhere.

"Oh please, let's not go there today." Bella groaned. She was working because she wanted to save up money for college. I realize that humans—well some of them anyways—have independent streaks in them and want to do things for themselves, but Bella was being ridiculous. College costs at least twenty thousand dollars a year, if not more and she probably had a little under a thousand to her name. And with the paychecks she raked in, I'm sure she'd have a nice little nest egg by the time she was thirty-five.

"As you wish," I held my hands up in surrender and went around the island to the new subzero fridge, "So what would you like for dinner? I have plenty of ingredients in here to make anything you like… and the cookbooks to help me along the way." I don't know why I thrilled so much at being able to cook. It's not like I could properly taste anything to tell whether or not it was right.

I had been practicing, though. My family members had all come to the kitchen to watch me work at one point or another; incredulous as to why I thought this was a good idea. I let Emeril teach me his "BAM!" technique and Paula Deen lent me her southern cooking style. I allowed my eyes to do most of the guessing as to whether I'd gotten everything right.

I thought it was a brilliant way to keep Bella entertained. I had been watching a little too much Iron Chef late at night though. Emmett and I had almost started a competition just because we thought it looked fun.

"Edward, you don't have to cook for me. Or furnish an entire kitchen." She sighed, leaning her chin in her hands and watching me.

"So you don't have any preference whatsoever as to what you want to eat?" I asked.

"You know what I was craving the other day?" she asked me, suddenly. I should have been used to her randomness. I couldn't read her mind like I could any other person on this earth. She was smiling and I would do anything to keep that look on her face.

"What?" I went along with it. At least she seemed distracted from her disgruntled train of thought. She hesitated for a moment, thinking about what she was about to say. It was quite comical actually, seeing her so hesitant but obviously amused.

"Cherry tarts." She smiled. It was a devilish smile almost.

"Cherry tarts?" I raised an eyebrow. She was definitely leaving me in the dark about this one. I shook my head at my own airy thoughts. Leaving me in the dark, indeed. So I turned to the cookbooks sitting on the counter and began flipping through them, trying to find a recipe for cherry tarts.

I found the root of her devilish smile. There in the dessert cookbook I picked up was the recipe for cherry tarts and a picture accompanied the recipe.

"That is not funny, Bella." I took another look at the photo. These particular cherry tarts were made in tiny pie pans and there was a knife cutting into one of them. Red, thick liquid was spilling out over the tanned edges of the crust. Like blood spilling from a wound.

She was quietly laughing at my expression that was probably a mix of incredulity and uncertainty that she could be so cruel.

"I'm sorry Edward. I just couldn't help it. I've been saving that for a conversation sometime. It just seemed… perfect." She bit her lip and tried to not smile at me.

"You are pure evil, sometimes, you know that?" I shook my head. Her sense of humor was a bit darker. As much as she wasn't afraid of us before, she was almost always confident and reckless with herself when she breezed through the house now. I could blame it on the werewolves, but I shook my head. No, she was not afraid of us now because she had seen what was worse; in Italy.

I dispelled the thought and looked back at her grin.

"Alright, what do we need for cherry tarts?" I folded the cookbook over so I could only see recipe and the picture would be out of sight.

"I was kidding Edward. We don't have to make them." She came around the island and approached me carefully. At least it was in her nature to approach me carefully, if not for her own safety then at least for my sanity.

"They do look good." I admitted, "I mean, they're loaded with sugar, which seems to be an addiction to some of you humans. Although, you're sweet enough as it is." I couldn't help bending down and placing my lips on her jaw for a moment. She sighed and her arms wound their way around my waist. The fire that spread through my body at the contact was almost more than I could handle. I pressed my lips against hers briefly and hugged her form to mine. She felt so warm and wonderful against me. And her intoxicating scent…. I couldn't remember for a moment what we'd been doing.

Cooking…. we had to think about cooking.

"Bella, I believe for me to do anything, you're going to have to get on the other side of the island." I was talking into her forehead.

"I'm not hungry," she said defiantly. I chuckled. She had been very clingy as of late. I guess it could be that I had been gone for months and she didn't want to let me out of her sight now. I cringed at that part of my memory. Those months had been unbearable, and I would pay for them for the rest of my existence.

I was still holding onto the hope that my bargain with her—marry me and _I_ would change her—would tempt her enough to keep her human, at least for a few more years. All the troubles we were facing weren't difficult enough to resort to changing her. That was a last resort… and I mean very last as far as I was concerned. But she did not relent in her quest for eternal damnation.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, I almost didn't hear Carlisle and Esme approaching.

"How do you like the kitchen, Bella?" Esme's smirk was full of mirth. _Edward, smile any wider and your face is going to crack. _Her thoughts made me smile even more. _Is it really a good idea to hold her so close? Are you not crushing her?_

"I think it's a waste on you guys." Bella's laugh made the warmth spread through me again, making my thoughts senseless. I couldn't even answer Esme's teasing thoughts.

"It kept Edward busy during those times when you were at work, so we are not complaining." Carlisle shrugged towards Bella. His thoughts were filled with encouragement for me though.

"Have you been cooking anything or just making kissy faces at each other?" Alice's chirp came from behind Esme and Carlisle. Alice's thoughts were much like Esme's.

"Well, I was trying to get Edward to make me something, but he got distracted." Bella tried to break away from me, but I was stronger than her. I wanted to feel her laugh. I pulled her closer. She rested her cheek on my chest and faced my parents.

"What were you going to make?' Esme was perplexed by the kitchen with all its new appliances. She truly didn't mind, but was curious at how I was going to know whether something was edible or not.

"Cherry tarts." Bella's evil smile was evident, even if I couldn't see it.

"Why does Bella have such a wicked smile on her face?" Emmett's voice floated in. Now Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Emmett were all standing in a row facing Bella and I across the island.

"Something about getting Edward to make Cherry Tarts." Alice shrugged. I reached over and flipped the recipe book so they could see the picture. Alice actually hissed. Carlisle and Esme shook their heads in disbelief. Emmett grinned.

"Bella, you are by far my favorite human ever." Emmett came around the island to mess up her hair, "And you don't mind slapping it to all of us once in a while. Can I get in on this action? This is exactly the way I want to spend my afternoon."

"Do we have everything?" Bella looked up at me, trying to seem innocent. I rolled my eyes, but looked at the recipe again.

"Yes," I said, disdainfully.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's make these things." Emmett clapped his hands together, which made a sound loud enough to rattle pots and pans, "Edward, in all this gadgetry, did you manage to buy aprons? Rose will hurt me if I get something on this shirt."

"They're hanging on the wall over there," I pointed to the pegs where new white aprons were hanging.

"Yes, it's on. You and me, Edward. Iron Cheffin' some cherry tarts." Emmett had his apron on and a meat cleaver in his hand before Bella and I could break apart. Sometimes I wondered at the sanity of my own family.

**A/N- Oh Edward, you make me smile so much. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Alright, alright. You asked for it, now you have it. Part two in **_**Cooking with Edward**_

**After much urging from reviewers and such a great response to Edward's jaunt into cooking, I went ahead and wrote the actual competition. I hope it's up to par with all my other writings. I'm kind of trying to get the first few chapters of the sequel to "With Opened Eyes." **

**Again… I don't own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse. I just own this fabulous plot… in which Edward and Emmett compete for lead pastry chef in the House of Cullen. **

"Emmett, put the cleaver down." I rolled my eyes. As if wielding a sharp object around Bella was a great idea.

"Don't we need this?" he asked.

"That's a _meat_ cleaver. Cherry tarts have no meat in them." Bella giggled and then broke away from my embrace, much to my disappointment.

"Oh." Emmett's face was priceless. He placed the sharp blade back in the knife block and placed his hands on his hips. "So now what, Chef Edward?"

"Well, we have to make the crust first, so it says here," I pointed to the recipe, "Then we press the crusts into these little pie pans and pour cherry filling into them, then cover them up. Wait. It says something about sour mix." I furrowed my brow.

"Isn't sour mix something that you use to make margaritas?" Bella asked.

"Like we would know." Alice laughed. It was true. Margaritas were a recent invention, and as far as we were concerned, a trivial matter.

"Alright, where is everything? Don't we need like… flour or something?" Emmett asked snapping me out of my thoughts. Bella laughed out loud and took a seat across the island to watch with Esme, Alice and Carlisle.

I tried not to feel disgruntled. This was supposed to be a Bella and me activity. Not something everyone in the house would watch. I shook my head as I reached into cabinets for mixing bowls. I was being selfish. I spent all my time with Bella, and while my family endured my absence, sometimes they missed me. Esme especially.

When everything was laid out in front of us, I smiled broadly at my family sitting across the way. This would be good for all of us. A chance to laugh at our pitiful attempt at cooking. No, this would not end well. I could tell by the gleam in Emmett's eyes. But it would be entertaining.

"Seriously, you don't have to do this. Crust is really hard to make. When my mom was in a baking phase she tried and tried to get the crust right. It was always hard or doughy or it tasted wrong." Bella protested lightly.

I looked at her face. It was somewhere between an evil smirk and a shy grimace. It was almost too much for me. She was being so adorable. How had I survived those months without her? It was almost overwhelming to think about it.

"Oh who cares?" Emmett piped in, snapping me out of my enamored thoughts.

"I will when I have to taste these things and they don't taste right." Bella frowned at Emmett. Alice snickered.

"Alright, here are the rules," Bella looked directly at me, "No vampire speed or strength. This will be over in five minutes if you do. Keep to your own sides of the island. Both of you should have the same amount of ingredients."

"Aw… that's not how they do it on Iron Chef," Emmett whined.

"This is not Iron Chef." Bella rolled her eyes.

"She's right. It's a level playing field." Esme interjected, "Plus, I've never seen you boys work without your speed. This should be fun. And Edward, no reading Emmett's mind."

I scowled at Esme. She knew me well. I didn't necessarily think of reading Emmett's mind, but now that I didn't have the option…. Maybe if I read it before the competition started….

"Edward." Bella's tone was disapproving. She must have seen the look on my face.

"Alright, no reading Emmett's mind," I agreed, grudgingly.

"I can't believe you'd try to cheat that way," Emmett feigned offense, placing his hand on his chest, "And I believed you were a gentleman."

"Let's get on with it." I rolled my eyes at my brother's display.

"Alright, you have everything you need?" Bella asked. I looked at the recipe one more time and then at our supplies, separated on two sides of the island.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Alright. On your marks, get set… and… go!" Bella giggled, stunning me for a moment. That laugh always shot fire through me. Emmett was already kneading his crust. I frowned and set about putting together my own crust.

I had an advantage over Emmett. I had watched the Food network far more than he had. I tried to tap into all the knowledge that I had consumed. Crusts were different. There were cake crusts and bread crusts, but those came when you baked. Pie and tart crusts were a little more complicated. If I remembered correctly, they couldn't be handled much and if they were too wet or too dry they didn't bake right.

With all that in mind I began to work. The good thing about being a vampire was that I could follow the directions perfectly because of my heightened eyesight. That was something Bella couldn't stop me from using.

I looked up at her and smirked. She sent a disapproving glance my way. My smile faltered. Maybe she knew me better than I had once believed.

I wondered if her mind reading capabilities would be the gift she brought with her when Carlisle changed her. I rid myself of those thoughts just as quickly as they came. I was still set against her being changed. She didn't need to be changed. Not for a while anyways. I don't know why it had to be so soon, besides her petty human reasons. Age meant nothing to me.

I soon had my crust ready. It felt light in my hands, but I couldn't let that be judgment. I had super strength. Any punch that Bella could minister was more or less a whisper against my skin. Why would dough be any different?

"Edward, you're behind." Emmett chanted from across the island. He was standing over a batch of already made cherry tarts. I had to quit letting my thoughts get in the way of tasks at hand. It was a horrible problem I seemed to have, especially since I met Bella. I suppose I had much more to think about with her on the loose.

"This isn't a timed competition." I warned.

"Who said?" Bella asked.

"You didn't say it was timed when you made all those rules." I reminded her and began lining four small pie pans with the thin dough.

"Oh please. Iron Chef isn't Iron Chef without the timed races." Emmett huffed.

"And Bella has already said this isn't Iron Chef," I hastily jogged his memory.

"Edward! You're making it impossible to enjoy this." Bella scowled. I smirked at her. It was way too cute to hear her scolding me, "Now finish those tarts so you and Emmett can both put them into the oven."

"Yes, ma'am." I nodded and refocused my attention on the unfinished tarts. Before long I was ready. And my tarts looked prettier than Emmett's, with pressed edges and leftover dough in heart shapes on top of the tarts.

"Oh show off." Emmett murmured from his position, leaning against the counter. I grinned in satisfaction. We put the tarts in the oven and then looked back at the four spectators.

"Now what?" Emmett asked.

"You sit and wait." Bella laughed.

"That is my least favorite thing to do!" Emmett ripped his apron off and threw it on the counter in an overdramatic motion.

"Well, what happens on Iron Chef when they get done fixing one dish?" Esme asked patiently.

"They don't have time to wait." I reminded her.

"Oh. So they don't make desserts on the show?" Carlisle asked.

"I think they have before. But they're always top of the stove desserts. Or something you can make in a Dutch oven." Emmett shrugged.

There was more harmless bickering back and forth as we waited for the tarts to be done. Esme and Carlisle were trying to understand the concept of the show. Alice was trying to figure out where Bella got the idea for cherry tarts. Rosalie and Jasper drifted in as the timer went off and we pulled them out.

"Do we have any whipped cream?" Bella asked, eyeing the tarts that were coming out of the oven.

"Bella… you have to wait for them to cool." I warned, "And what is whipped cream?"

I hadn't expected her reaction to my question. She doubled over in silent laughter, much to mine and my family's confusion. Tears were streaming down her face before she could compose herself. I was distracted by the emotions that played on her face. She could have so many expressions. Every one of them fascinated me. Made me want to be closer to her.

Instinctively, I moved around the counter. She smiled softly at my approach and slid off the bar stool. More of her mind reading techniques I suppose. I felt an electric charge surge through me when she placed her hands on my waist.

For a split second, I felt the hunger that always ached inside of me when she was near. The gut wrenching pain of thirst that pushed me to just drink from her. To taste the paradise that ran through her veins. But my rational mind took over and I stomped down the urge, frustrated with myself, as usual.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and bent down to kiss her forehead and inhale the scent that threatened to drive me crazy.

Only when Carlisle cleared his throat did I realize that I had been in my own little world with Bella, not conscious of everyone around us.

"Sometimes I wonder if you guys aren't worse than Emmett and Rosalie with the displays of affection around here," Alice commented, with a grimace. Everyone's thoughts seemed to be centered around how it was either annoying or encouraging to see me so comfortable with Bella in front of them.

"Oh, you're just jealous," Bella laughed, then looked up at me, "And whipped cream, love, is a fluffy confection that goes well with dessert." She was holding back her laughter. I could tell.

"Alright," Emmett interrupted before I could think any more, "Bella, let's have a taste of these. Tell us who wins."

I sighed and let go, pushing her around the island. She picked up one tart from each pan and examined them.

"They both look very nice," Bella was patronizing us, "Nice presentation both of you. Now for the taste test." She was reaching for a knife from the block. Images of Bella slicing a finger or her forearm automatically played through my head. Wait… that was a vision from Alice's mind. Not good.

"I don't think so. Go over there and sit down. We'll cut them." I pulled her away from the tarts and sharp knives and led her to a stool.

Emmett cut a piece from both of the tarts and served them on twin dessert plates. This was completely ridiculous. They looked like severed body parts laying on the white surface.

Bella took the fork I offered her and tried Emmett's first. She kept her face impartial as she chewed. Then she turned to mine and sampled it. Again her expression was detached.

"Come on! Just tell us." Emmett bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. I'm surprised the motion didn't shake the house.

"Well, Emmett's was very nice. The crust was good and the topping and sour mix blended well together into the crust. And Edwards crust was light and flaky and just right for tarts. The hearts on top were a nice touch."

"So…" Alice raised an eyebrow at Bella.

"I can't choose. They're both good." Bella shrugged and looked a little distressed.

"That's not fair!" Emmett pouted, "You have to choose."

"No way. If I choose Edward's then you'll think it's because I'm biased. But if I choose yours then Edward will think it's because I don't want to hurt your feelings. So I call a stalemate." Bella shrugged.

"Stalemate? Stalemate? That is not fair. And I called you my favorite human!" Emmett rumbled.

"What would you think if I did this?" Bella asked and quicker than I realized she could move, she had taken the plate that held Emmett's cherry tart and flung it towards his face, coating him in crust and cherry topping. Time stood still for a moment as everyone stared at Emmett and Bella.

"I would think that you're going to get it." And then at human speed, Emmett was chasing Bella around the island, my cherry tart plate in hand. She screamed and tried to hide behind me.

"Hey, don't get me into this." I tried to move out of Emmett's way. Too late. He'd smashed the plate into my hair, "Oh, Emmett, tell me you didn't do that." I growled.

"Oh you better believe I did it." Emmett nodded. And suddenly a food fight ensued. All of us were grabbing for the uncut cherry tarts and flinging them around the kitchen. Throwing bits and pieces from the countertops and the floors. Reusing every piece of ammunition that was available. And laughing the entire time. Laughing so hard I'm sure if we could produce tears, we would have.

What a sight we were when we all stopped hurling things at each other. All of us were covered with cherries and little flakes of the tart shells. And the kitchen—my beautiful white, spotless kitchen—was splattered with pinkish red goop and tan crust.

"Bella, you could have told us food was fun. I mean, seriously, we hunt and that's fun sometimes, but this is just—genius." Jasper smiled, wiping a cherry from his shirt front.

"I'm not cleaning this up." Esme interjected, from her stool.

"I'll clean it up," I sighed, "It's my kitchen after all."

"Indeed it is. Speaking of cleaning up. I think I'm going to clean up." Carlisle nodded.

"I'm going to have to clean up," Rosalie whined, "Look at what you did to my white pants!" she pushed Emmett into the closest wall.

"I'm sorry! It's was Bella's fault!" Emmett tried to defend himself.

"If you had just walked away, we would not be covered in cherries! Come on. You ruined that shirt." Rosalie muttered. Apparently, the apron had not helped Emmett much, since it was in a pile on the counter. Everyone else followed Emmett and Rosalie thanking me for the amusement in their minds.

"This was entertaining." Bella sidled up to me, always careful of how she approached.

"I didn't expect it to be _that_ entertaining," I smiled and pulled her closer.

"You look hilarious," she snickered, reaching up to pluck a piece of crust out of my hair.

"You look pretty scrumptious." I teased. Surprise registered in her eyes and I realized what I had said, "Not like that." I chuckled. I noticed a cherry resting in her hair and moved to pick it out.

"They really were good," she sighed, looking forlornly at the wayward cherry on the tip of my finger.

"Have a taste. It's not contaminated." I chuckled holding my finger towards her face. It was the wrong thing to suggest. The moment her lips touched my finger I was thrown into a tale spin. Electricity flew through me in a way I didn't know was possible. The gentleman in me pushed Bella away and rounded the counter in record time, even for me.

"Too much?" Bella asked, timidly smiling at me from the other side of the island.

"You are always too much," I nodded, breathing raggedly.

"Sorry." She shrugged.

"You're not to blame. I was the one that wasn't thinking." I snorted, beginning to clean dried cherry topping from the refrigerator.

She came around and wrapped her arms around my waist. I immediately shoved away all traces of monster in me and sighed. This was heaven.

"I think that you're very sweet for doing this. Thank you. Even if it was my morbid sense of humor that started this whole thing." She laughed against me. It was the best feeling in the world. I never wanted to lose it.

"I'm glad," I smiled, "Because now, you get to help me clean. And I have a feeling that cherries don't come off the ceiling without a fight." I pointed up, where a big splatter of red and tan hung onto the textured plaster.

**A/N- TADA! Enough? Comments, questions and fun remarks are always welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N-Alright, so I found a lost chronicle in the Cooking With Edward series. It's been sitting in my E and B folder for a while and I've just been uninspired to do anything with it. I hope you all enjoy it. I know there are several that have been wishing for another chapter… believe me when I say, this is the final one. **

**So, without much more than to say that I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn, enjoy the little tidbit. And thanks to all you faithful readers that love Chef Edward. **

I hummed softly as I scraped dried cherry filling off the ceiling. I was balanced on the island counter top, scrubbing at the offensive material that was stuck on my newly textured kitchen ceiling.

It didn't matter that I had plastered the ceiling in about thirty minutes. It's that I had done it in such an intricate way that gummy food seemed to cram itself into the intricate cracks in the sculpting, making it difficult for me to pick it out.

"That's an interesting face," Bella laughed up at me.

"I am rethinking the plaster on this ceiling. Not that I predict any more food fights. But I don't want to have to pick any more food out of these little holes." I scowled down at her.

"Well, Mr. Fix-It, you're the one who did all this." She shrugged, "Do you want some help?"

She reached to hoist herself up on the countertop before she heard my answer. Bella on a marble countertop was not a safe scene in my mind.

"NO!" I shouted irrationally. I didn't mean to scare her. It just happened. And I saw Bella's nasty fall in Alice's mind as she raced towards the kitchen.

"Bella," Alice sighed, as soon as she prevented Bella from falling into the floor, "You really, really need to stop placing yourself in dangerous situations."

"It was my fault," I quickly maneuvered myself down and took Bella from Alice, "I frightened her because I was trying to prevent her from falling. But yelling just made her fall."

"Talk about graceful." Alice smirked, bouncing back out of the kitchen. She wasn't talking about Bella.

"I'm sorry," I frowned down at Bella. She was smiling though. Obviously, I was already forgiven.

"It's alright. It was a bad idea," she confessed, "Now let me down. There's still cherry everywhere."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to eat more of it," I sighed, wiping a splatter of tan and red goop off of the wall.

"It's alright. Cherry isn't my favorite anyways." She shrugged, "It's just the most fun to play with around all of you."

"You are seriously sick," I shook my head at her. She had become more and more accustomed to teasing all of us. Too comfortable for my liking. She was supposed to be afraid of us, but instead, she started food fights with us.

Granted, a good food fight for my family, in reality, would be a skirmish over who got the grizzly bear or some other large game we found in the woods.

As I wiped down another wall, I mind wandered to thinking of Bella as a vampire. It gave me pleasure to think about it and but panic followed shortly after.

Would there be things that she would miss about being a human? Would there be ideas and feelings and emotions that she would have to leave behind? And what about the trivial things? The things that hadn't meant much to me, only because I'd never really discovered them. Would she mind the fact that we would never be able to stay in one place? That after a short period of time we would have to move again?

A deep sadness filled me. I wanted Bella to stay human. To have all those experiences I never had. That I never would have. I felt almost physically sick thinking about Rosalie and her longing for a baby. Would Bella feel that way in a few years? Would she pine for a family life and to grow old, like Rosalie once she never could? And that was just one of the things Bella would have to give up!

"Edward," Bella's voice called me out of my thoughts, and back to the present, "What's wrong?"

I blinked, looking at where my hand had been rubbing against one spot in the wall. All the paint and plaster was gone, leaving a hand sized hole.

"I'm just worrying about you, as usual," I gave her a wan smile, dusting off the plaster from my hands.

"What is there to worry about? There won't be a thing to worry about in a couple weeks. After graduation." She reminded me, slyly.

"That's exactly what I'm worrying about." I sighed.

"Why?" She scowled, "It's not like you have to do it."

"It's not that. I'm just thinking about after." I lifted her up onto the counter and placed my hands on either side of her, "I really want to know what regrets you'll have."

"Regrets! I can't believe you think I'll have any!" she barked out a harsh laugh, "You are the only thing I want. Forever. I won't have regrets."

"Ok, maybe regret is too heavy a word. What about just—things that you'll miss about being human?" I was trying to make her understand, but I could tell she thought I was just overreacting.

"How about things I won't miss?" Bella asked, "There's my clumsiness and my weakness. The hindrance I create in you by the smell of my blood. I definitely won't miss Mike or Lauren."

"Be serious," I rolled my eyes, "There has to be something that you'll miss—someone? Charlie and Renee, maybe?"

"Of course, I'll miss them!" she exclaimed in a defiant tone, "But eventually I'll forget them, right?"

I frowned at her. This was getting me nowhere. A part of me longed to have Bella forever. But she didn't understand. She didn't see what I did. What I know I missed.

"Bella, I am convinced I don't remember my parents because of the fever. Rosalie remembers her parents. And so does Carlisle for that matter. Jasper remembers much of his human life. It's just fuzzy. How do you think we'd be able to tell our stories if we didn't at least have some sort of memory?" I tried this argument, all the while searching her chocolate depths.

She was silent for a moment.

"Edward," she placed a hand on my cheek, "Nothing you could say would change my mind."

"But I—"

"Aw man," Emmett's voice cut through my next argument, "The kitchen still isn't clean. Edward, what have you been doing? You could clean this up in five minutes. We're going to watch movies."

_What exactly are you doing?_ Emmett's thoughts screamed at me, _There is no reason Bella shouldn't be one of us. _

I helped Bella off the counter and scowled at Emmett. I was balancing very precariously on this issue. Of course I wanted Bella with me—it had been so painful to be away—but these pieces of me wanted her to remain human. To know what humanity was like. To experience the things I had not.

I sighed inwardly. Each day that we inched closer to graduation was a day I lost the initial fight. I watched Bella's long hair, as she followed Emmett into the living room, where it looked like a movie marathon was about to start.

If I hadn't been so distracted I would have paid attention to the noise. It was miniscule. Something that a human ear wouldn't have heard. It sounded like when a human's skin is being ripped off by the friction a vinyl chair creates. Or dried food falling off a ceiling.

So when the pie fell off the ceiling and into my hair, I am pretty sure my grimace was fierce. That didn't stop my brothers and sisters from collapsing into fits of laughter at the sight.

"Alice," Bella addressed my sister through the laughter that floated into the kitchen, "Standing here like this—doesn't Edward look like he has a head wound?"

She had a devilish gleam in her eye. And for one moment, I knew what was going on in that beautiful head. The cherry tarts had to go.

"Bella, the only person who would lick that head wound is you," Emmett laughed.

"Ew." Alice scrunched her nose up, and suddenly I was seeing the picture in her head. Bella licking my hair.

"That's enough," I growled, "I don't know if that was a prediction, or just an image from your mind. No matter what, get it out of your head and never let it pass through mine again."

"Bella, shame on you!" Alice giggled mercilessly, "I would have never pictured that on my own."

This brought about another round of loud laughter at my expense. I just turned and resolutely began scrubbing down the cherry and pie crust glazed counters, grumbling unintelligibly.

**A/N- Poor Edward. We're always laughing at his expense. **


End file.
